Hydraulically-actuated fuel injection systems and/or components thereof are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,730 issued to Ausman et al. on Jun. 16, 1992 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,523 issued to Hafner et al. on Mar. 29, 1994. In such fuel injection systems, the actuating fluid is communicated to an actuating fluid inlet port(s) of each injector via a common rail passage and a respective rail branch passage internally defined in an engine member, such as a cylinder head. Moreover, each injector must be releasably connected to the engine member.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 7, and 8 of Ausman et al., a clamp is connected by one or more bolts to the engine member. The clamp also contacts a pair of shoulders formed on the injector body in order to apply a clamping load thereto after the injector is installed in an engine member bore. In this embodiment, the actuating fluid inlet port(s) of each injector is located between the opposite end portions of the injector. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 of Hafner et al., the actuating fluid inlet of each injector is located at one end portion of the injector. Due to space constraints, a relatively short length and rigid external fluid line supplies actuating fluid from an actuating fluid manifold to a respective fuel injector. The connection between the external actuating fluid line and the actuating fluid inlet port of the injector can experience high pressure fluid leakage problems if the mating components turn out to be misaligned during manufacturing and assembly.
Other clamping assemblies for simply connecting a fuel injector to an engine member are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,725 issued to Jenkel et al. on Jun. 10, 1980 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,738 issued to Martin on Jul. 9, 1985.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.